New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-05-18
locked the doors and shut the win
dows,and put out the fire in the kltch-
sens where she had prepared Annals

COWS, ana put OuU the IRE In JQ6 k1CCl-
EN- where she had prepared Annals
soup.
1T is time togo to bed,'' she said.
do you not hear any thing?" asked
Max.
His mother opened the window and
listened. But everything was quiet.
The lonely, quiet night was over the
valley, and the air came cool into the
room.
go to bed, Max, and pray" said
his mother, after having listened g.
while.
.If I only knew where father is,'
said Max, "if could only see him for
moment, if | only knew that shall
ever see him again!"
Pray, my child, pray!" said his
mother, and hid her face in her hands.
After Max had gone into his cham
Der, and nothing moved any longer,
his mother extinguished the light, for
she thought it might bring danger if
troops should pass the village in the
night and see the Illuminated wind ow.
The poor woman was now quite alone
in the chamber the children slept.
The moon shone into the room and
lighted up the walls and the place where
the father used to sit at this time OF
night and where he talked with the
wife about the joys and cares of the
passed and the coming day. Whether
he will ever sit there again? the good
dear father! The woman sat with
bent head; the moon shone upon her
pale, careworn face.
Suddenly she looked up. What was
it? A noise in the street-a gentle.
light step; for one second she could
hear it, and then all was quiet again.
Was somebody stealing around the
house? Was an enemy near? The
woman jumped up and listened; cold
draught passed over her; it came from
the chamber. Was the window open
there?-she had cl osed it herself-she
knew that for certain. Had some
body opened or forced it inland
who?-
With loudly beating heart she went
into the chamber Yes, the window
was wide open and the cool night air
streamed in. Nobody had come into
the room, she saw that in the clear
moonshine;-bu outside? She listen
ed far out into thes treet. But every
thing was silentas the grave and moth
ing was to be seen but the black shad-
ows Of the trees and houses.
One moment she stood motionless,
then an anxious thought came into
her mind; she turned and looked back
into the chamber "MaxW she called,
and bent over his bed wringing her
hands, for the bed was empty.
Meanwhile Max ran past the last
houses of the village, and his shadow
ran beside him. Max had no hat on
his head, no shoes on his feet. In his
LETT hand he held his fathers canteen
and the piece Of black bread his moth
er had given him in the evening, ana
in his right hand he held a large knife.
The trees and bushes whispered gently
as he passed, the crosses and monu-
ments over in the cemetery shone
ghostly in the moonlight, and dark
shadows looked forth behind every
stone and fence post. Max did not
look to the right nor left, but strobe
straight on. What should he be afraid
Of? The stones and fence posts he
knew we'll enough, he had seen them
many times a day,-and the crosses
over there too. And that they threw
now such mysterious shadows-this
was caused by the moon-and heknew
the moon, too!
But farther on, over the next hill
near the edge OF the forest-the boys
heart trembled, his fist grasped the
knife more firmly, he FASTENED his
steps, his cheeks and eyes glowed, his
hair flew in the night wind.
Max neared the battlefield. A pc
culiar horrid odor met him. The
smoke Of powder was still in the air.
But round about everything was quiet,
only the forest rustled gently. Max
drew a deep breath and walked slow.
He wanted to see every thing, examine
watches had been put out-he did not
want to be caught-he went to find
his father, and who would find him if
not his son?
With wide open eyes he passed the
last hill and came upon the great
meadows beyond. Here, then, was
the battlefield! Yes there lay some
thing on the ground; a gun, and near
it the cartridge box, and there-yes,
there lay the man who belonged to
the gun and the cartridge box; or was
it the one near the hazel bush? Or the
one next to him?
Max felt his heart beating wildly.
Dead-dead people everywhere, and
there horses, and uprooted turf and
upturned earth. Max ran from one
dark form to another, and bent over
every corpse to see it's pale face. The
boy himself was pale as death. Ii he
should find his father so! But these
were all soldiers, he recognized them
from affair by the metal buttons which
shone in the moonlight. He had to
think Of the trim men as they rodein
the morning laughing and cursing
through the village; and now they
lay mulilated, covered with blood
and earth, forsaken and forgotten.
Max ran ever faster this way and
that way. From time to time he
stopped and walked across the fed.
IF on1v The trees coul1 snnaki thew